Pedal attachment for accelerating-levers.



LESLIE S. HACKNEY, 0F

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR eac er.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

ACCELEBATING-LEVERS.

Application filed May 22, 1916. Serial No. 99,043.

To (1Z5 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LnsLIE S. HACKNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State ot' Minnesota,have invented new and useful Improvements in Pedal Attachments forAccelerating-Levers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pedal attachments foraccelerating levers.

In automobiles andelsewhere, foot levers are usually provided to controlthe operation of motive-power. In using these levers, the driver placesthe sole of his shoe against a lever and. in operating said lever,tiltably supports his foot at the heel upon the foot board. Thispractice has two disadvantages, both of which impair uniformity ofcontrol. First, in attempting to hold his foot in the unnatural positiondescribed. the driver is fatigued and frequently inefficiently operatesthe pedal, especially when the vibration of the car is great, andsecondly, owing to the frictional contact of the drivers shoe with thefoot lever, difficulty is experienced in at tempting to uniformlyactuate the lever.

The object of my present invention is to obviate these disadvantagesand, generally, to provide a simple attachment for the ordinaryaccelerator levers having a support upon which a drivers foot may freelyrest in a natural position and also to provide foot-operated meansadapted to cooperate with a pedal, whereby tilting movements of the footefiiciently and uniformly actuate said lever. 1

Other novel features of construction and combinations of parts will bemore fully hereinafter described and pointed out in my claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device,showing the foot board of an automobile upon which said device ismounted andalso illustrating an ordinary accelerator lever which isoperated by said device; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional viewof my attachment; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 ofFig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 have used the reference letter A toindicate the pedal and ll the standard upon which said pedal is mounted.Said pedal A comprises a spoolshapcd toot rest 9 consisting of a hollowcylindrical body 10 having ends 11 enlarged to form annular keepers 12,and an exten- -turned upward at their ends.

19 have ahned perforations 20 therein. and

sion 13 widened at its end to form a solecontact 14:.

The standard B includes a flange 15 Patented J! an. 30, 19917.

adapted to be secured by screws 16 or the 5-.

like upon the foot board 17 and a post 18 rising from said flange 15 andsupplied with a pair of oppositelv extending arms 19 These arms areinserted in an opening 21 at the bottom of the foot rest, which isformed by cutting away a portion of the cylindrical body 10. A pintle22, axially secured in the ends 11 of the foot'rest 9, passes throughthe perforations 20 in the arms 19 and pivotally secures the pedal Aupon the standard B. The upturned portions of the arms 19 fit snuglywithin the ends 11 of the foot rest and prevent sidewise movement of thepedal A, while the opening 21 in the body 10 permits a substantialtilting movement of said pedal without interference with the standard B.

Beneath the sole-piece 14 of the pedal A are two pendant cars 23 inwhich a roller 24 is revolubly mounted by means of a pintle 25 assingthrough said roller and ears. My attachment is so positioned upon thefoot board 17 that the roller 2% rests upon the accelerator lever 26, asshown in Fig. 1. I employ a pad 27 of rubber, or other suitablefrictional material, upon the sole-contact 14 of the foot lever. Myattachment is easily applied to an automobile by simply securing theflange 15 upon the foot board thereof.

In use, the driver places his foot upon the foot rest 9, as illustratedin dotted lines in Fig. 2. the shank of his shoe resting upon thecylindrical body 10, between thev keepers 12 at the ends thereof. Itwill be readily seen that in such position the foot is freely andnaturally supported. he sole of the drivers shoe extends over thesole-piece ll, which may be depressed by lilting the foot. In depressingthe pedal, tlni roller fZ-l bears upon the lever 96 and. owing, to itsrolling contact with said lever. causes the same to move uniformly withrespect to the movement of the pedal. The usual resilient devices (notshown) which raise the lever 26, necessarily elevate the lever A whenpressure is removed therefrom.

This device is particularly advantageous in that it lessens the strainupon the driver of an automobile and, owing to the evenness of control,promotes comfort in travel and avoids unnecessary wear andtear upon themachine.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and-desire to protectby Let ters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a footlever, of a pedal comprising a cylindrical foot rest having keepers atits ends and designed to receive the shank of a shoe and an oscillatorysole piece integral With said foot rest, a standard upon vhich said footrest is axially pivoted and a roller mounted beneath said sole-pieceadapted to rest freely in contact with said foot lever.

2. In a device of the class: described, the coml'iination with a footlever. of a standard, a pedal comprising a foot rest designed to receivethe shank of a shoe, and an oscillatory sole-piece integral with saidfoot rest, a pivot securing said foot rest upon said standard, said footrest being designed so that the pressure thereon is transmitted radiallyto the pivot in said standard and a roller beneath the sole piecearranged to rest freely in contact with the lever and transmit motionfrom said pedal to said lever.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a footlever, of a standard, a pedal comprising a hollow cylindrical foot resthaving a portion of its annular wall cut away to receive the end of saidstandard, a pivot passing through said standard and axially arrangedwithin said foot rest, and a sole-piece integral with said foot restadapted to co-act with said foot lever.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a footlever, of a standard having laterally extended arms turned upward attheir ends, a pedal comprising a hollow cylindrical body having endsenlarged to form keepers at the extremities thereof, said body being.cut away to receive the arms, the upturned ends thereof fitting snuglywithin said ends of said body, a pivot mounted in said ends and passingthrough said arms, said pivot being axially arranged with respect to thecylindrical body, a solepiece integral with the body and a roller onsaid sole-piece arranged in rolling contact with said foot lever.

Whereof, Ihave hereunto subscribed my name to this specification.

LESLIE S. HACKNEY.

